1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved trash receiving and compaction receptacle for trash compactors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Household trash compactors typically include a compaction mechanism having a motor driven platen or ram which descends by means of an extensible linkage into a trash containing receptacle to effect compaction. The compaction mechanism and receptacle may be contained in a cabinet having a drawer on which the receptacle is mounted. The drawer is slidable out of the cabinet along rails so as to permit the insertion of trash and the removal of compacted trash. The drawer is slid into the cabinet to position the receptacle beneath the ram for compaction.
The receptacle is lined with a bag in which the compaction actually occurs and which holds the compacted trash. The receptacle and the bag are usually sized to accommodate the weight of accumulated compacted trash which can be conveniently carried out. The bag is removable from the receptacle for deposit in the garbage.
The major purpose of trash compactors is to compress relatively rigid articles to a fraction of their original size thereby greatly reducing the bulk of the trash. Such relatively rigid articles include particularly glass bottles and to a lesser extent, tin cans. The forces required to crush glass bottles, for example, soft drink bottles, can be quite high. During the application of the ram to rigid articles such as bottles, the bottle may contact the sides of the receptacle. Both denting and distortion of the receptacle by the rigid article may result as the crushing forces of the ram attain and exceed the breaking strength of the articles. In the past, this physical alteration of the receptacle has made it difficult to slide the receptacle into and out of the cabinet because of the bulges produced by denting and/or the misalignment of the drawer rails produced by distortion of the receptacle.
Several additional problems have also heretofore occurred in connection with the design and use of trash compactor receptacles. For example, it is important to securely fix the bag in the receptacle so as to prevent it from being withdrawn from the receptacle by the ram as it retracts, particularly when only a small amount of trash is contained in the bag. In the past, complicated clamp arrangements have been employed around the top of the receptacle for bag retention purposes. These clamp arrangements tend to be both expensive and difficult for the homeowner to use.
Trash compactors of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,714,890 to Jerry W. Moon employ a compaction mechanism having a motor coupled to the ram through an extensible linkage system of the scissors jack or lazy tongs type. The path of the ram during descent is slightly curved and it is necessary for the receptacle to accommodate this arc.
The compaction of the trash tends to expand the trash causing it to wedge in the bag. This makes the bag difficult to remove, particularly in view of the weight of the accumulated trash.